Word Dorks, today I found what the Guinness Book of Records recognises as the most succinct word: Mamihlapinatapai, the meaning of which is “a look shared by two people with each wishing that the other will initiate something that they both desire but which neither one wants to start.”

Finally, I’ve found a link that will lead to more laughs than furrowed brows, confused stares or plain fear. Although this time, it may lead to schadenfreude.

Hanzi Smatter is a blog “dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters in Western culture.” Largely focused on tattoo art, it’s hard not to feel pity for some, bewildered by others and plain rib-tickling giggles at the rest. Let the fighting over the fact that some Japanese is involved (but that those Kanji come from a Chinese past) begin! Instant classic:

It’s not often you read the paper and see two stories involving interpreters in the first three pages.

In the first, we have an excellent example of a interpreter doing their civil duty (and, I would have thought, in accordance with the AUSIT code of ethics, although on reading, I see no mention of “reporting illegalities”), even when, as in this case, it was a claim against the police. The hardest accusations to make are against the police, for obvious reasons, but usually also the most necessary.

Unfortunately, in the second article, the Australian involved has behaved reprehensibly and the interpreter in question should be provided the support of, and a defense by, NAATI/AUSIT members (well, Interpreters and Translators everywhere really).

In fact, I would call on both of these organisations (and others) to make official complaints to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the minister in question, at the very least insist upon an official investigation, and if the story is confirmed, ask that the person in question be removed from international duty and the interpreter given appropriate compensation as requested.

Another interesting point made is that the design process, just like the translation process, requires understanding, communication, and development feedback loops, without which “they’re losing out on the full experience of design.”

As an educator, one of the tasks I set my students is to compare multilingual websites or discuss how monolingual, yet multinational, websites can be, and are, localised. The reports I got from my students were fantastic – websites, especially those that are of a more commercial nature, can be radically different across cultures, presumably dependent on the demographics of that particular culture’s interwebs trailblazers.

“Jeffrey Zeldman brings up the interesting issue of the paradox between Japan’s strong cultural preference for simplicity in design, contrasted with the complexity of Japanese websites. The post invites you to study several sites, each more crowded than the last. ‘It is odd that in Japan, land of world-leading minimalism in the traditional arts and design, Web users and skilled Web design practitioners believe more is more.'”

Jost announced in his latest newsletter that translatorstraining.com is now free. If you’ve ever wondered if a different TEnT tool might be better for you, this is your best place to see what makes other software different (and what makes them all the same). There’s 3 hours of watching, some videos are longer and more informative than others – I think each vid is made by the company that makes the software, so the info you are getting is straight from the source.